Method and apparatus for making high altitude balloons



April 30, 1957 H. J. MASTENBROQK METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOONS Filed Aug. 15, 1955 INVENTOR HENRY J. MASTEN B ROOK If ATTORNEYfi United States Patent O 5 2,790,479 {Rammed-Apr. 30,;1357

. adjac urt msyp eea h ba lqe ss c io al n the surface halloons Whioh is directly-v overadjacent es of the rlng sections in such a-manner that. thetwo sections lwillcome .togetherone ab ove the other.

- J. g r r APPARATUSFOR .Aftenthe adhesive is ,app liedto the surface of. the balloons,

&ALI1T,UDEJ BALLQQNS .HenryiJ. Mastenbrqokg-liallsChur-ch, Ya. Mae a -Au u invenee N ease .6. c1aims.-(el.rr54 1 ..'1a s-T fl all- 5 .991 5m 266) The invention describedyherein maybe-manufactured and used by or for the Gover-nment of the-United Sta tes of America for governmental; purposes without the i payment of any: royalties thereonfor therefor.

{This invention relates'to a production jig-forballoons, and more particularlyeto a method of making fast rising high altitude balloons of extensible materials, such as rubber or neoprene.

11111321110011 constructions of theprior art-it has been customary-to provide .a gas proof bag of rubberized material to retain lifting gases and to providea load net superimposed over the' 'bag. -Qther balloons-have been constructed of rubberized material witha semi-spherical top and cone bottom, but fins are-required on the bottom to guide the balloon upward. S tillother balloons have been madeof ve rtical sections of plastic material with reinforced seams.

{The present invention involves ar-jig, which;is use d in v ec nnection -witl r a deflated spherical balloon v material whereby a skirtljsls ecured to t he spherical section by using the jig and any suitable adhesive between the two sec ion Theme .of. .thejig ofnhis, invention. for securing a skirt to a spherical balloon enables one to make a fast rising high altitude balloon in very little time.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for making fast rising high altitude balloons.

A further object of the present invention is to employ a new method for producing fast rising high altitude balloons from extensible materials.

A still further object of this invention is to make a fast rising high altitude balloon by employing a jig for securing two separate sections to each other.

Other and more specific objects of this invention will become apparent upon a careful consideration of the following detailed description when taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the production jig of this invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the jig with balloon sections stretched over the annular rings of the jig and positioned to be joined,

Fig. 3 illustrates a section through a balloon in its unfinished but assembled position,

Fig. 4 illustrates a section through a finished balloon and the arrangement of the balloon sections, and

Fig. 5 illustrates the relationship of the balloon structure as it rises into the air.

Now referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates a jig formed by a lower section 11 and an adjacent top ring section 12. The lower section 11 is made with a second ring section 13 secured to a supporting structure. The ring sections 12 and 13 have the same dimension in diameter and width for the adjacent faces so that they coincide when they are brought together.

In using the jig to assemble a fast rising high altitude balloon, two balloon sections 14 and 15 are stretched over respective ring sections. Adhesive 21 is applied the ,ring sections, are tpressed together and pressure is applied in any, well llsnown manner until-the adhesive ism Set.

' QY-hemthmdhe h ha se th -Jo n n -ra renioved frorn the jrg andthe lower .balloonn15.. is out to. formt a skirtfor th'e upperballoon. 'I' he lower balloon has, an opening16 "in the bottom to permit entrance into ,the inside .andzthetportion of,;the 'bottom. balloon that lli swi -h ua arie zp .t -i Q iQn..-o a bal o (shown tteilineinfi .3-)L 91 aw to fermtt skirt. The'skirt allows the ;upperballoon.14.,to expand gnore rapidly ,in this .regioril" The ski rt. can be ffilled .Q with, ,aii' orleft ,open, ,tojatmospheric pressure.

The opening lo i n-. the skirt sectionlalso allows access .to the ,valve .of thenpper balloon. The valve for :the .upper;ba11oon could. be .positionedon top rather than on .thebottomwithin the lskirt butis preferred to. be .within 'theskirt section. Iheppening 16 .also provides a. surface to attach,a .load before allowingthe' balloonto rise. l 'lfhe;, 1ar r1 eter ,,of,.the ring sections of jig ltlis made according to the size of the balloon. The'diarneter must be oflsuch sigelthat the skirt will be secured circularly the .l wer vhalf ,or loweremispherical surfacev of. the upper balloon; at, an angle. p between .30 and 60 degrees, the .angle being ,measnfred frorn the center. with a'. plane through .th-eIdiameter 17; parallel. to. the. seeured. position 18; as .,,one, side. Stated{in other terms, the angle-d;.is ,ithe acute angle;..included by agdiarne ter .which is parallel Ito .the line oflattae hment of ,the .sk irttto. thespherical Qlgallggn whieh.jlinei of attachrnent is .a minor circle, and sareiu flt th foresai 1 1 at aehmem ,E e 4 graphically describes this angle which can also be defined in terms of the arc B which subtends it, the angle a being from 30 to 60. The secured position 18 of the skirt can be varied for different balloons according to the altitude desired for the balloon to reach. The greater the angle for the secured position of the skirt the higher the elevation for which the assembly achieves a minimum drag coefiicient.

A fast rising high altitude balloon made with this method has attained velocities of 4000 ft./min. Other advantages are the balloons can be smaller in ground size compared to non-extensible balloons now used as rapid rising balloons. It is more stable than known balloons and it does not require a fin structure for stability. The high center of lift together with the drag force located at the base of the skirt provides a stabilizing couple which maintains stability during ascent. This is not possible in other balloon designs where the lifting gas is not confined to the upper portions of the balloon. As the balloon rises the balloon expands, expanding into the skirt portion and at the same time expanding the skirt wherein the lower end of the skirt is brought closer to the spherical balloon in accordance with the expansion as shown by dotted line in Fig. 5.

A typical balloon used is 10 ft. in diameter (gas filled at ground level) and the skirt is secured circularly to the lower half of the upper balloon at an angle of 45 originating at the center with a plane through the diameter as one side. In order to secure the skirt portion to the upper balloon, a jig with ring sections of 4 ft. in diameter and having a face width of /2 inch is used. This jig enables one to make a fast rising high altitude balloon economically and with very little time involved.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teaching. It is therefore to be understood, that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

l. A jig for making a skirted rapid rising balloon, said jig comprising first and second ring sections having coinciding faces said second ring section being positioned adjacent said first ring section and secured to a supporting structure which absorbs pressure applied to the two ring sections during assembly of said balloon positioned between said first and second ring sections.

2. A jig for securing together two separate sections of a rapid rising high altitude balloon which comprises a first ring section and a second ring section, said second ring section being secured to a supporting framework and having its upper face adapted to coincide with a face of said first ring section, said first ring section being positioned above said second ring section whereby pressure applied to the first ring section presses said first. and second ring sections together.

3. A jig for securing together two separate sections of a rapid rising high altitude balloon which comprises a first ring and a second ring of the same inner diameter, said second ring being secured to a supporting framework, said rings being adapted to be assembled with their opposing faces in registry at the inner diameter thereof and to hold adhesive-bearing portions of said two ballon sections under pressure contact therebetween whereby said balloon sections may be secured to each other. 7

4. A method of providing an extensible skirt on an expansible spherical balloon to form a rapid rising high altitude balloon which comprises stretching a collapsed expansible spherical balloon over a face and edge of a first ring, stretching an extensible balloon over the upper face and edge of a second ring having the same inner diameter as the first ring, the second ring being secured to a supporting framework, arranging said rings in alignment on the inner diameter thereof with the balloons thereon in face to face relationship, and applying pressure to said first ring with an adhesive between said balloons until the adhesive has set and the balloons are secured to each other.

5. A method of providing an extensible skirt on an expansible spherical balloon to form a rapid rising high altitude balloon which comprises stretching a collapsed expansible spherical balloon over a face and edge of a first ring, stretching an extensible balloon over the upper face and edge of asecond ring having the same inner diameter as the first ring, the second ring being secured to a supporting framework, arranging said rings in alignment on the inner diameter thereof with the balloons thereon in face to face relationship, and applying pressure to said first ring with an adhesive between said balloons until the adhesive has set and the balloons are secured to each other,removing the adhered balloons from the rings and through an opening provided in the bottom portion of the extensible balloon, cutting away the inner portion of the latter which lies within the line of attachment of said balloons to each other thereby -forming a skirt on the spherical balloon.

along a minor circle of the latter and through an opening provided in the bottom portion of the extensible balloon, cutting away the inner portion of said extensible balloon which liesrwithin the line of attachment of said. balloons to each other thereby forming a skirt on the spherical balloon.

References Cited inthe file of this patent 

